Pork Cooked in Milk

I have chatted with a couple of friends last night and one of them requested something with 'gata', saying she's into anything with coconut milk. So I decided to feature this recipe, but since I can't get a fresh coconut milk, I opted to use cooking milk instead. If you can't find smoked bacon, you can just use the ordinary kind. So here it is C, take note... :-)

INGREDIENTS:

500-750 gms. whole pork leg or belly, deboned
1 tbsp. oil

2 tbsp. butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup smoked bacon, chopped

5 cups milk (evaporated)

2 tsp. peppercorns, crushed

2 pcs. bay leaves (laurel)

2 tsp. thyme

salt to taste

1. Using a sharp knife, remove fat from the meat. Shape meat into a neat form, trying it in place with a string.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a large pan. Add the onion, garlic and bacon to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the pork to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, until it is browned all over.

4. Pour the milk over, add the peppercorns, bay leaves and thyme and cook over a low heat for about 1 hour or until tender. Add salt according to taste.

Watch the liquid carefully because it tends to reduce very quickly and can burn. If the liquid reduces and meat is still not tender, add another 1/2 cup milk and continue cooking. Reserve the cooking liquid.

5. Remove the pork from the pan. Using a sharp knife, cut meat into slices and remove string. Transfer the pork slices to a serving plate and serve with the cooking liquid.